|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| PPE Non-Compliance is a Top Workplace Safety Issue |
A survey conducted by Kimberly-Clark Professional found that 98 percent of the 132 safety professionals who attended the American Society of Safety Engineers’ 2010 conference and expo had observed workers who weren’t wearing PPE when they should have been doing so.
The problem seems to be getting worse. A 2008 Kimberly-Clark poll found that 89 percent of safety professionals had observed workers working without PPE. The figures for 2007 and 2006 were 87 percent and 85 percent respectively.
The top five reasons safety professionals are given by workers who aren’t wearing PPE are:
- It is uncomfortable.
- It makes the worker too warm.
- PPE isn’t available near the work task.
- It doesn’t fit properly.
- It looks unattractive.
Asked what solutions they have tried or intended to try to improve PPE compliance, the safety professionals’ top response was “improving existing education and training programs.”
SafetySmart Online has several tools to help you improve PPE compliance in your workplace, including eLearning, one-click safety meetings, safety talks, posters, puzzles, images and articles for your company newsletters, including this PPE Employee Briefing (Subscription to SafetySmart Online is required to access this page.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Earn Your Bachelor’s Degree in Occupational Safety Completely Online with Eastern Kentucky University |
|
| This online degree program will equip you with the skills to handle personal and environmental risks within the workplace and teach you how to investigate, manage and prevent hazards and threats. Through EKU’s online program, you will have the flexibility to maintain your current lifestyle and career responsibilities while earning your bachelor’s degree. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Picture This! |
|
 |
|
| This worker is taking a casual approach to safety as he squats, without any fall protection, at the edge of a steep roof. We don’t know how far it is to the ground, but even short falls can be fatal. (Naval Safety Center photo) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Workers’ Top Labor Issue Might Surprise You |
What do you think 85 percent of workers polled listed as their top work priority? Job security? No. Better pay? Nope. Career advancement? Sorry. The answer might surprise you.
A survey conducted by the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center for the Public Welfare Foundation in Washington, DC, found that workplace safety was the number one labor issue for more than eight in 10 workers polled.
Although many of the workers who were interviewed expressed concerns about exhaustion, stress and dangerous working conditions, the majority said they were satisfied overall with their safety conditions at work. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| PPE and Religious Freedom |
OHS laws require employers to ensure that workers use necessary PPE in the workplace. Human rights laws require employers to accommodate their workers’ religious preferences. In most cases, these two obligations are perfectly compatible. But they come into conflict when the worker objects to using PPE on religious grounds. For example, suppose a worker who practices the Sikh religion refuses to wear a hardhat. Forcing him to remove his turban and wear this PPE would violate his religious beliefs, but letting him work without adequate head protection can result in serious injury and OHS violations.
Here are 5 tips for enforcing PPE rules without violating religious rights:
- Consult workers on changes to existing PPE rules or implementation of new rules to head off conflicts with religious practices.
- Eliminate the need for PPE by eliminating the hazard it protects against through engineering or administrative controls.
- Consider different kinds of PPE or modifications to PPE that might protect the worker without making him compromise his religious beliefs.
- Determine who would be endangered if the worker was excused from using the PPE—just that worker or other people in the workplace?
- Make reasonable accommodations for the worker, such as reassigning him to a job that doesn’t require this PPE.
Need to stay current on Canada’s OHS legal cases? Laws and Announcements is just one of the many tools available to members of www.OHSInsider.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Last week we asked: |
|
Have you ever suffered an injury at work because you were angry at the time?
You responded:
23.3% said Yes
76.7% said No
Your Comments Here:
This week we’d like to ask you:
This week’s Bongarde Safety Briefing stories suggest a contradiction between workers’ opinions and actions, in terms of wanting a safe workplace but frequently not contributing toward one. Do you think workers would take more responsibility for their role in workplace safety if they could be fined for safety violations?
Vote in the Reader Poll here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Upcoming Events: |
|
 |
|
| September 16, 9AM PST |
| Responding to Safety & Environmental Incidents:
Practical Lessons Learned from the BP Gulf of Mexico Disaster |
| FREE for all OHS Insider Members. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| Join the online community of safety professionals |
|
|
|
 |
| Choose from over 1000+ posters on over 50 safety topics |
|
|
|
 |
| Take advantage of sophisticated and easy-to-use training resources. |
|
|
|
 |
| Leading source of safety compliance information |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
